You will need to sign on with your LLLID (La Leche League ID) before you can post. If you have never claimed your LLLID, create your LLLID now. To sign in, click the LLLID Sign On button in the upper right corner. Enter your LLLID Alias and click the button again.

Re: Baby not getting enough?

I am glad the appt with your IBCLC went well. I think you have answers now that make lots of sense.

I DO think your LC is being a mite cautious in suggesting you have to do this or that until the one month check up. This is common when weight gain or output was slow at first, of course everyone want to be cautious and make sure baby is getting enough. But breastfeeding changes RAPIDLY in the early weeks, baby’s latch improves, moms start to figure it all out and start to relax, and, mostly, if baby is nursing frequently & effectively enough, milk supply increases and increases as it should (Then is levels off or "regulates" at 5 or 6 weeks or so and mom makes basically about same amount per day for the rest of the time she nurses (going down very slowly as solids are introduced after 6 months.)

Your LC said you have forceful letdown. Now, this does not mean you have oversupply too. But forceful letdown is unlikely to be present if you have low supply. Forceful letdown would cause the symptoms you describe in you baby.

If you stop or lower your fenugreek intake, and your milk production is dependent on the fenugreek, that will lower your production. But frankly I am not at all convinced your milk supply needs now or every needed the boost fenugreek gave it. It’s just so early to be diagnosing low supply especially when your baby (as I understand it) had latch issues that made milk transfer difficult. Yes, over time, latch issues or rather, poor milk transfer, can harm supply, but I hope you are starting to see improvement with latch and milk intake?

The single best way to make sure you have enough milk production is frequent, effective milk removal. If this is happening, few moms actually need galactagogues to keep up good production.

Re: Baby not getting enough?

Stopped taking the fenugreek and I think my supply went low. Baby was satisfied after nursing and would go at least 2 1/2 hours between nursing...sometimes longer when I was taking it. Now, she wants to nurse every 2 hours and sometimes even sooner...usually I will start a nursing session, end it about 45 mintues later and baby wants to nurse again within an hour of completing the session. Sometimes she won't even go 2 hours from start of one feed to start of next feed. Lately she will cry at the breast (usually my left one) and refuses to latch sometimes. She cluster feeds at night from 2:30 to 6:30 for the past few days. She does swallow and I'm having letdown, but the milk will usually let down and she will swallow for about 10 seconds or less and then just do a 'tickle' type suck and then not suck at all for a long while until I get her to continue sucking by compression or by tickling her cheek or what not. I do let down about 4 times on my right breast before she will unlatch herself. On my left she gets angry because it seems the letdown doesn't happen for a long time and I don't let down as much on that side. She does not seem satisfied after a feed. I can switch feed and she will finally seem like she is satisfied, only to wake up 10 minutes later and want more.

I understand that newborns nurse frequently and it helps to build supply, but honestly with 3 other kids I don't have the time or patience to be in bed all day nursing constantly. Plus, it seems that I have to go through hoops to get her to stay latched and to eat consistently. She is pooping and peeing great; however, her poop had turned to mustard yellow color and now it is back to greenish poop. She poops at least 4 times a day and sometimes more, she has at least 5 wet diapers. So, I know she is getting something from me, but wondering why she doesn't ever seem satisfied. I did finally give her a supplemental bottle today because she just refused to latch. I'm getting NO SLEEP and wondering if that is why my supply is low. She cluster feeds all night and during the day she stays awake after eating for awhile before sleeping and by the time she goes to sleep she wakes up within 20 minutes or less to eat. So it is almost impossible for me to sleep during the day.

Just wondering how do I know if my supply is not enough for her? I go in on Monday to have her weight checked. I guess if she is gaining and she is pooping and peeing then I shouldn't be concerned and just nurse, nurse, nurse and realize my life is not my own for awhile. Just very concerned she isn't getting enough.

Oh, if I do decide to pump IN PLACE of a feeding, how much milk is expected at 2 weeks of age? If i decide to pump AFTER a feeding session, how much milk is average?

Re: Baby not getting enough?

Just fed baby at 10pm. She ate until 10:30ish and was sleeping pretty soundly. I fell asleep in the chair while burping her. Woke up at 11pm and put her in bed. At 11:20pm she woke up acting like she hadn't eaten for an entire day!!! Fed her on both sides and at midnight she was still acting as if she hadn't eaten for days. I put her back on the first side and she sucked for over 5 minutes with absolutely no swallowing. She pulled away screaming and would not latch again. I put her on the right side and she again sucked for over 5 minutes and FINALLY got some milk, but after only a few sucks, swallows she pulled away screaming and would not latch. She just kept acting as if she were starving. I broke down and gave her a bottle. I really want to exclusively breastfeed, but I just don't think I'm making enough for her. If she is getting angry and not latching because the milk flow isn't there then I can't force her to nurse. It doesn't seem as if frequent nursing is doing anything to my supply either. I've been feeding round the clock and it doesn't seem that she is content at all anymore. Just wondering when it is time to throw in the towel.

My breasts never feel 'full' and I do feel letdown sometimes, but not all the time. When my milk does let down she doesn't suck long...maybe 30seconds on the first letdown and maybe 10-15seconds on the other letdowns. Because of my funny nipples, I can't do sidelying because she can't latch on properly. So I can't get sleep while she is nursing.

Oh, I have a Medela Pump in Style breast pump. Would using a hospital grade pump give me more milk output than the Medela pump? Wondering if I should just pump exclusively and bottle feed. At least she'd be getting my milk and not formula, but not sure if my pump will get me enough milk. I fed her on one side today and pumped and got less than a half an ounce from BOTH breasts...including the one that she didn't eat on...that one produced less than 1/2 ounce.

Re: Baby not getting enough?

DO NOT THINK EXCLUSIVELY PUMPING WILL FIX THIS!! Most EPIng mother's STRUGGLE with supply. It is MUCH HARDER to maintain your supply via pumping.

Nurse.

I have four kids I nursed my older three and EPed for my fourth. Believe me when I tell you nursing will get easier. Pumping NEVER EVER does and gets harder. It's even more difficult when you have more kids. My family was on hold for a year so I could EP, as it's 8-12 sessions around the clock for a total of 120 minutes a day.

Put the time in now.

Why are you nursing in your bedroom? I nursed and pumped everywhere.

Everything you are saying is normal. Don't freak out. It wont be like this forever.

Re: Baby not getting enough?

Her poops are green actually. They were yellow for a day or two, but went back to green. So, how do I know she is hungry and should nurse her or that she is just fussy and should do something else? She seems to be starving and fussy ALL the time until I nurse her for hours. I have an appointment on Monday for her weight check.

I've been sticking my boob in her mouth everytime she fusses and wondering if that is wrong to do. Maybe she isn't hungry. It just seems that after she eats one breast and I burp her she is rooting around and sucking her hand and wanting more. I give her the second breast and after she eats that breast she does the same rooting around. I usually can keep her pacified by just continuing to switch breasts back and forth, but a lot of times she will cry and not latch after switching a few times. It just seems she isn't satisfied. If I try to rock her, burp her, etc. she will cry until I give her the boob and if the letdown isn't quick enough she cries. I just feel she isn't getting what she needs.

Re: Baby not getting enough?

It's never wrong to offer the breast. If baby isn't hungry, she'll reject it or suck so lightly that she won't stimulate more than a trickle of milk.

Babies often fuss because they are getting a letdown that is too fast or too slow for their pleasure. I personally don't think that moms should try to do anything about slow letdowns except nurse the baby and let the baby figure out how to generate the flow speed she desires. If you try to make things easy for the baby- for example, some moms try to boost supply so that their babies will get a really rapid milk flow without much effort- then the baby never learns how to get the breast to do what she wants.

Let us know how that Monday weight check goes. If it's okay, then there's really nothing to worry about. You may want to wptweak some of the fine points, but in general good weight gain = everything going just fine.